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Science Media Awards and Summit in the Hub Fellow Application

SMASH18 fellows may be early career professionals or graduate students looking to elevate their careers through structured networking opportunities with leading scientists and science communicators from around the world.

SMASH places significant value on recruiting fellows with diverse backgrounds and experience. Both international and domestic fellows are encouraged to apply. All SMASH18 fellows should share a passion for storytelling and a common goal of elevating science literacy across the globe.

Science Media Awards and Summit in the Hub (SMASH18), a celebration of science and science media that will take place in Boston September 25-27. This biennial conference will bring together more than 300 leading scientists, producers, filmmakers, writers and technology innovators. Generous support for SMASH is provided by The Rita Allen Foundation.

Jackson Hole WILD and WGBH are currently accepting fellowship applications for the 2018 Science Media Awards and Summit in the Hub (SMASH18).

Fellows will receive a stipend towards travel, lodging, conference costs and a modest per diem. Candidates for the fellowship will be early career science media producers, journalists, or working scientists with a commitment to science communication. All SMASH18 fellows should share a passion for storytelling and a common goal of elevating science literacy across the globe.

In September, fellows will convene in Boston for an opportunity to attend three days of fascinating sessions highlighting recent discoveries in science and trends in science media distribution. Fellows will also be able to take advantage of networking opportunities with leading scientists and innovative science communicators from around the world. Fellows will be in Boston from September 25-27 for three days of conference programming, as well as special pre- or/and post-conference workshops.

In 2014, the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival joined WGBH, Boston’s PBS member television station and NPR member radio station, to bring the Jackson Hole Science Media Awards and Summit to Boston. Strong support from partner organizations such as Discovery, National Geographic, AAAS, HHMI and the Smithsonian Institute helped ensure the success of SMASH14 and SMASH16. This year, SMASH organizers will build on that foundation by returning to Boston with additional programming and an enhanced fellowship program.

Prior to the September summit, SMASH18 fellows will have an opportunity to participate in the preliminary judging process of Jackson Hole WILD’s Science Media Awards film competition, a process that takes place in June and July. Preliminary judges review and rank film competition entries remotely through an online portal. Award winners will be announced at a gala celebration on September 27 at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge.

Applications for the Fellowship must be posted by 5:00pm Eastern on June 1, 2018. Applications should be submitted on the following pages. For more information on SMASH16, please visit our website: http://www.sciencemediasummit.org/

Please submit a resume and a cover letter with a brief description of any prior experiences engaging a public audience(s) in scientific discourse. You may also add three URLs of samples of your work pertaining to science, engineering or technology. These can be print, video, audio, or multimedia, and should be work on which you were a primary contributor. If you are providing media, there is a 5-minute maximum.